83 The Stars in Heaven
For Saturday, March 23: Day 83/366 of the Story-a-Day Challenge
Dear Diary,
Miss Terry, my therapist, told my Mommy that I’ll talk about it when I'm ready. Maybe I’m ready, Dear Diary.
Mommy just yelled to see if I’m ready for bed. She makes me sleep with her, because my Daddy died. A man in jail got drunk and drove the wrong way. I never had a chance to say goodbye. My dad, I mean. I would never say goodbye to the drunk man in prison, because they wouldn’t let me in and I also hate him. I promised Miss Terry I'd try not to hate.
Now it's just me and Mommy. I love her twice, one for her and one for Daddy. I miss Daddy. We both do, you know.
He would help me with the dogs. Feeding them, giving them baths, letting them out, you know. I remember my Daddy and I were in the backyard looking at the sky while the dogs did their business. It was really clear and there were a lot of stars all shining and twinkling.
My Dad said stars are good people who went to Heaven. They shine for us to remember them and to remember there's a place for us to go after we die.
I'm not stupid. I know that's not true, but it's nice.
When you’re with your dad and they tell you a daddy story, it’s OK to believe it, because all those stories are love stories.
After Daddy crashed his car and died, when I came out to the backyard with the dogs, I looked around up there for his star. I know it's silly, but I pretended one was his. And it maybe was. It was somebody's, right?
Stars are very far away. Now when I look up I feel he's too far away. I've got Mom, though. But she's never been the same since Daddy went that far. I feel just like my Mom does. All alone.
I overheard Miss Terry talking to Mom--how I might act out. But if I pretend to feel better, maybe my Mommy'll feel better, too. I doubt it.
Maybe we can act out together. Might be fun.
________________
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Word count (excluding notes): 366
Submitted for Saturday, March 23, 2024
2024: A Story-a-Day for the whole year. This one is #83.
All pictures are AI-generated, but the words are not!
About the Creator
Gerard DiLeo
Retired, not tired. In Life Phase II: Living and writing from a decommissioned Catholic church in Hull, MA. Phase I: was New Orleans (and everything that entails).
https://www.amazon.com/Gerard-DiLeo/e/B00JE6LL2W/
email: [email protected]
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Comments (5)
I wish I can give her a hug 🥺❤️ Loved your story!
Heartbreak is a hard thing to deal with as an adult, but when you have children, you see how much it affects them, and yet how strong and resilient they are. It is a blessing that we cannot too often count. Well-wrought!
Brilliant, Gerard! The constellation images are spectacular, too!
When you’re with your dad and they tell you a daddy story, it’s OK to believe it, because all those stories are love stories. Fucking made me cry.
This was a perfect story to start out my day; someone I love just became a star. I want to believe that at least. Wonderful piece!